Served Digizine™- Farm to School

Truth Time

the Policy Pulse with

LunchAssist Blog for 11 tips to help your program or join us during “The Lunch Hour,” a Community Call that takes place on the second Thursday of every month.

Why should prospective employees work in your school cafeteria? Never underestimate the power of a good story. Share what it’s like to work in the school cafeteria through testimonials or photos. Try to evoke the feeling we all get when a child tries and likes a new fruit or vegetable. Feeding kids healthy, fresh meals is a pretty special experience! Especially when we’re feeding them foods from the local community. Talk up your farm to school program and how new hires will get to make a difference in the local food system and influence the healthy eating habits of the next generation.The results might just be a bit magical.

Local Solutions for Staffing & Supply Chain Issues

LunchAssist Jennifer McNeil, RDN, SNS

Want more tips for navigating staffing shortages and supply chain disruptions? Visit the

Read the Blogpost Here!

Ask any school nutrition professional what their biggest concerns are right now and you will pretty much get the same answer from Maine to Arizona: staffing shortages and supply chain disruptions.

the chain. Connect with local farmers, ranchers, fishmongers, bakeries, and even manufacturers in your region. Good for the kids. Good for the Earth. Good for farmers. And great for our programs. Struggling with how to piece together the procurement puzzle? Consider utilizing

Join us for a one-hour discussion on all things school nutrition. Think policy updates, best practices, strategies for elevating meal service programs, and more! We will share tools and resources and the latest School Nutrition updates. Come to this virtual event series and connect with colleagues and friends from across the industry. Everyone is welcome to join this free event! Communicate with students (when appropriate) and families to help them understand the current staffing and supply chain challenges, how this is impacting meal services, and what they can do to help. Tip: Use the sample flyer below to communicate about the current staffing shortages and supply chain disruptions.

Like in many industries, there are just not enough people to work in school nutrition programs

Ask any school nutrition professional what their biggest concerns are right now and you will pretty much get the same answer from Maine to Arizona: staffing shortages and supply chain disruptions. “

right now. Need to take a day off? Good luck finding a substitute to cover your shift. Dealing with disruptions to the supply chain on top of the labor shortage adds stress to an already threadbare system. Say goodbye to perfectly planned menus, careful budgeting… not to mention compliance with federal nutrition standards. Our new measure of success is, “Did we feed the kids today?” In this new normal, just getting

Emergency Noncompetitive Procurement to bypass lengthy processes that may stand in your way of contracting with new, local vendors. This flexibility has been allowed by USDA since March 2020, and was explicitly encouraged by USDA in the latest Waiver #100. And don’t forget - going local isn’t just about the food. Recruiting new hires by tapping into your

SCHOOL NUTRITION PROGRAM Staffing Shortages & Supply Chain Issues

Alert!

Our school nutrition program is currently short on cafeteria staff and experiencing supply chain issues. We have a number of vacant positions and are also having trouble receiving ingredients from our food vendors. This is a nationwide problem, but we are working on several strategies to mitigate the impact on our students. We apologize to students who are experiencing unusually long lunch lines and last-minute menu changes. As we navigate this challenging time, we appreciate your patience and understanding. Free Download!

Thank you for your continued support.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

food on the tray is a huge accomplishment. So, who has time for Farm to School this month? You do! Surprised? Keep reading. Farm to School programs build resilience, responsibility, and sustainability into our supply chain and are a key component of any successful school nutrition program. Now more than ever, connections to our local food system are essential. We can’t deny that fewer miles traveled leads to fewer middlemen, and fewer links breaking in

hyperlocal community of parents, grandparents, and community stakeholders. Get the word out by posting printed flyers, emailing digital flyers, adding a “help wanted” blurb to your lunch menu, creating Facebookposts and Instagramstories,and talking up the benefits of working in the school nutrition program. Ask other departments and community partners to share your job postings. Make it easy for people to apply by linking directly to the online application.

Jennifer McNeil, RDN, SNS is a former award-winning Child Nutrition Director and the Co-Founder of LunchAssist. She was raised in America’s Farm-to-Fork capital where she developed a passion and appreciation for local produce. She enjoys helping child nutrition directors cut through the administrative red tape so they can focus energy on serving the healthiest, freshest meals possible. LunchAssist PRO is the newest community in school nutrition where members have exclusive access to hundreds of school nutrition resources and over 12 hours of fun and empowering professional development specifically designed for this school year. See what all the buzz is all about by visiting www.lunchassist.org. Jennifer McNeil, RDN, SNS Co-Founder, LunchAssist